Darkness on the Horizon- A Pokemon White Nuzlocke
by Umbreon56
Summary: This story follows the tale of Pokemon Trainer Maria as she travels through the Unova Region. Along the way she will meet many new friends, but as they continue along, she wonders how many of them will still be there when her journey ends. Who will still be there when the journey ends? Who will be lost to the brutality of Pokemon battles? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

Sunlight shone down on Nuvema town on an early Autumn morning. It was bright, and beautiful, and it was the perfect day for a girl to begin her pokemon journey. She was a girl by the name of Maria. She had wild brown hair, tied back in a ponytail and brown eyes. The day had finally come. Today she would have her very first pokemon.

"Where is Bianca?" Cheren, a young lad with slicked back black hair and a cowlick was tapping his foot impatiently. His arms were crossed and he looked more irritated than ever.

"You know she's always late." Maria said much less impatiently. "I thought you might be used to it now."

"But today, of all days?" Cheren shouted. He let out an exasperated sigh and pushed his glasses up to his nose, as was customary when he was upset.

"I'm here!" A voice shouted excitedly. Maria turned around to see a blonde girl with a green hat enter the room. She was smiling from ear to ear. "Sorry I'm so-"

"Bianca, where have you been? Of all days to be late, why today! You know how important this day is to us!"

"Oh, Cheren, you're such a worrywart! Its not like the pokemon are gonna get out of their pokeballs and leave if we take to long." Bianca waved Cheren's worries and shouts aside. She stepped into the room to stand beside Cheren. "Is that it?" She asked, pointing to a box on the table. "Maria, you should go first because it's your house that the pokemon were delivered to."

"Thanks, Bianca." Maria said. Slowly she stepped forward and picked up the letter that was sitting on top of the neatly wrapped box. She began to read the letter aloud for Cheren and Bianca to hear. "I've brought three pokemon, one for each of you. Please choose wisely. Whichever pokemon you choose will be by your side for your entire journey. Enjoy your pokemon. Sincerely, Professor Juniper."

After the letter, Maria proceeded with opening the box. There were three pokeballs sitting there. One pokeball had a green leaf on it, one had an orange flame, and the final had a blue bubble. Maria studied them carefully. She thought about which pokeball contained which pokemon. The leaf was probably Snivy, the bubble Oshawott, and the flame Tepig. Slowly she reached for the pokeball with the leaf on it.

"Hurry up!" Bianca shouted in Maria's ear, causing her to jump. The box bumped, and one of the pokeballs rolled over onto its button, causing it to pop open. It was a Tepig. "Ooh, a Tepig! Great choice, but I would've chosen Snivy!" Bianca cheered before taking the pokeball with the leaf on it.

"But I-" Maria tried to protest, but it was too late. Bianca tossed the bubbled pokeball to Cheren.

"I wanted-" Cheren began, but Bianca interrupted him.

"Come on, Maria, let's battle!" Bianca cheered. Before Maria could react, Bianca's Snivy was in a battle stance facing her.

"Okay…" Maria sighed, knowing that she would have no choice. Inside, her thoughts whirled. _I never wanted a stupid Tepig! _She thought bitterly. _I chose Tepig by accident!_ "Tepig, use Tackle!" Maria called. The Tepig charged forward and sent Bianca's Snivy flying across the room. It crashed into a bookshelf and books began to topple onto the floor.

"Snivy, use tackle!" Bianca ordered, but Snivy couldn't move. It was trapped beneath a rather large book that was about the various species of pokemon in the Unova region. Tepig took the opportunity to use tackle on the bookshelf, causing the books to collapse in an avalanche of word-covered pages. Snivy managed to jump onto Maria's computer desk just before the book-alanche. Tepig was jumping on books as they were falling and he landed safely on top of the TV. ***Ahem- Parkour***

"Tepig, use Tackle!" Maria ordered. He leaped from the TV and charged toward Maria's laptop desk, where Snivy was trying to wipe the word 'buddy' off his forehead. Tepig sent the Snivy crashing into the table beside Maria's bed, where he was now unconscious. "Yeah, great job, Tepig!" Maria cheered.

"It was nothing!" Tepig replied modestly. Maria opened her mouth to reply, but Cheren interrupted her.

"How about you battle me next? Its not fun sitting on the sidelines when your friends are having a real battle." He sent out Oshawott. "Alright?"

"Alright." Maria agreed. "Come on, Tepig, let's show them who's boss."

"Bring it!" Tepig shouted.

"Use Tackle!" Cheren shouted. Oshawott charged forward.

"Counter it with another Tackle!" Maria demanded. Tepig charged forward and collided with Oshawott, but Tepig's heavier weight provided an advantage. Oshawott skidded backwards. "Hit him with another Tackle!" Maria encouraged Tepig onwards. Oshawott didn't have time to move out of the way. "Yes!" Oshawott stood back on his feet. "Aw…"

"Tackle, again!" Cheren called. Oshawott charged toward Tepig. Tepig jumped out of the way, but Oshawott's head still hit the red orb on the end of Tepig's tail. Tepig's eyes widened and he began to thrash, sending Cheren's Oshawott crashing into the wall. The battle was over, but Tepig was still thrashing.

"Tepig!" Maria called and she walked over to calm him down. He stopped thrashing. "Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm fine."

"Meet us at the professor's soon so we can get our pokeballs and leave." Cheren said. He watched the scene worriedly and left the room. Bianca followed.

"What was that?" Maria asked, referring to his spasm.

"If pokemon attack the orb at the end of my tail," Tepig explained, "I have muscle spasms." He shivered.

"Well I'll make sure that no one attacks your tail." Maria promised. She picked Tepig up and walked over to the window. "We're going to travel across the Unova region together. I only wish my dad could see it."

"Did he die?" Tepig asked after a while of silence. Maria laughed.

"Nah!" She waved her hand to dismiss the thought. "He lives in another region that's too far away for me to visit. I just wish he was here now." Maria pushed back the urge to let out another sigh. She reached her hand down to scratch Tepig's head lightly. "Let's get to Juniper's." She whispered. When she reached the lab, Bianca and Cheren were waiting for her.

"You ready?" Bianca asked. Maria nodded. The three of them entered the lab together.

"Maria, Cheren, and Bianca!" Professor Juniper seemed to be waiting for them. "As you all know, I am Professor Juniper. I am a pokemon researcher here in the Unova Region. I gave you three Pokemon because you seemed to posses the certain qualities of pokemon trainers. And of course, you are all at the age of fifteen, so you are ready to begin your very own pokemon journeys." Professor Juniper looked at all three of them until her eyes finally fell upon the pokemon who wasn't in a pokeball. "You've already had a pokemon battle?" She seemed astounded. "And your pokemon already seems to trust you very much. So much that he might let you give him a nickname."

"A nickname?" Maria looked down at Tepig. "What do you want to be called?"

"Me?" Tepig seemed surprised that she would ask him what he wanted. Most humans just named their pokemon without asking. Then again, most humans couldn't talk to pokemon. "There was a name that all the other pokemon used to call me before the Professor found me… I didn't like the name, but it's the only one I can think of, and it would probably sound better if you said it."

"What was it?"

"Spaz."

"Spaz. How does it sound when I say?" Maria wondered aloud.

"It sounds funny! I like it!" Tepig smiled.

"Okay, then. Spaz it is." Maria stated. It was a funny name, but it seemed to fit.

"Wait a minute." Professor Juniper looked from Maria, to Spaz, then back again. "You can talk to pokemon?" Juniper's mouth was wide.

"Yeah. Maria's been able to talk to pokemon ever since she was little." Cheren explained. Professor Juniper looked astonished.

"Well that should make your journey a lot simpler." The Professor advised. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful. Pokemon battles can be more dangerous than you think. Pokemon can die in battle."

"We'll be careful." Maria gulped. She wanted to pull Spaz a little bit closer.

"Leaving it on that pleasant note, good luck!" Professor Juniper sung.

"Finally." Maria grumbled when she left the lab with Spaz. "I thought she'd never stop talking." Maria sounded annoyed, but on the inside she was worried. _Pokemon can die in battle. _The professor's voice echoed in her head.

"Don't worry about me, Maria!" Spaz tried to cheer her up. "We'll train a lot and get strong together. We'll meet other Pokemon to, and they can help!"

"Thanks, Spaz." Maria felt the butterflies in her stomach as they headed towards route one. She gulped and prepared to take the first step…

"Wait for us!" A voice called. Maria stopped and turned around. Cheren and Bianca ran up to her. "We want to take our first steps together!" Bianca chimed. "It was Cheren's idea."

Maria sighed. Her friends surely were something. Of course, they weren't just friends anymore. They were rivals as well. She took a deep breath and stepped. Cheren and Bianca stepped as well, perfectly in sync. They had taken their first steps on route one and they had done it together.

"Let's see who can catch the most pokemon!" Cheren challenged.

"Yeah!" Bianca agreed. The two of them raced off before Maria could stop them.

"I think I'll only catch one pokemon, if it's okay with you, Spaz."

"Fine by me." Spaz shrugged.

"Okay then. Let's go into the tall grass." Maria took a step into the tall grass.

"Hey!" A voice yelled. Maria scrambled backwards with surprise. "Watch it! You nearly squashed me!" A small puppy Pokemon leaped out of the tall grass.

"Spaz, use Tackle!"

"Hey, what are you-?" The Lillipup went rolling through the grass. Maria searched around for a pokeball and she threw it. The Pokeball rolled multiple times before little stars popped out. She had caught the pokemon. She sent the Lillipup out. "You could have been a little bit more gentle."

"Sorry." Maria apologized. "I was excited. So what's your name?" She asked.

"Logan, but- wait. How can you understand me?" The Lillipup barked.

"Well, Logan, that is a long story. I'll tell you some other time, okay?"

"Looking forward to it." Logan yipped happily.

Maria's POV

I didn't know it then, but that was when my journey really began. It was after the capture of my first Pokemon. I secretly wondered to myself if these faces would still be with me at the end of my journey. I tried to fight these stupid thoughts away. I tried to remain optimistic, and I succeeded for a short while.

Spaz's POV

I couldn't be happier. I had a trainer who loved me, and I was making new friends. I didn't know how much the world was going to change, or what dangers we would have to overcome. I did know that I was happy, and that was enough, at least for the time being.

Logan's POV

I don't know why, but I trusted this trainer. There was something about her that made me feel safe. I knew our journey would be marked with all the points of a real journey. We would face danger and devastation, but we would also come to new lands we had never seen before and we would reach heights we could never imagine. Or at least some of us would.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where have you been?" Bianca asked.

"I was training Spaz and-" Maria began to explain, but Cheren interrupted.

"Training? You were training for so long that Bianca and I were getting ready to call the police." Cheren shouted. "You must be strong if you were really training that long. How about a-" _Ring!_

"Ooh, that must be the cross-transceiver!" Bianca cooed. She took out her X-transceiver. Maria and Cheren did the same. It was the professor.

"The three of you should come here immediately! I am in front of the Pokemon Center in Accumula Town."

"We'll be there!" Bianca shouted. She did what looked like a mix between an excited dance and the pee-pee dance before she hurried off. Cheren rolled his eyes before following. Maria rolled her eyes at the both of them.

"What's the Pokemon Center?" Spaz asked.

"Where people go to heal their Pokemon." Maria explained.

"Oh, my dad used to mention these all the time!" Logan exclaimed. "He said there were boxes that people put their pokemon in!"

"They're not really boxes." Maria told him. "It's a computer that stores data on the Pokemon and keeps them safe when I can't carry them with me."

"Sounds strange." Logan barked curiously. "And odd. And weird."

"Sounds stupid if you ask me." Spaz said. "How come you can only have six pokemon?" He asked.

"Its to keep trainers from having an unfair advantage in Pokemon battles. It also prevents some from cheating." Maria kept talking as they entered the Pokemon center. Professor Juniper and Bianca were just leaving.

"Do you need a tour of the pokemon center?"

"No thanks." Maria already knew quite a bit about Pokemon centers. She walked up to the front desk and handed the nurse the two Pokeballs. She bought some extra while she waited, then she left. She was about to head to the next route, but Cheren stopped her.

"Maria, come listen to this!" Cheren called over from a crowd of people who were gathered in the center of town.

"What's going on?" Maria asked. Cheren shushed her.

"I am Ghetsis, here representing Team Plasma. I am here to inform you all of Team Plasma's efforts to liberate pokemon." The man who was speaking was tall with long green hair. He had a strange red spectacle covering one eye and a thick black and white cloak. There was a symbol on the front of his cloak that had the letters 'PZ' in it. He continued when no one replied to what he had been saying. "I am sure that most of you support the belief that Pokemon are working with humans as partners and equals. You may think that you want and need one another. I am here to assure you that this **is not the case. **Perhaps none of you have considered that we, as humans, only assume this to be true. Can anyone say that there is no truth to what I am saying?"

"I can!" Maria shouted a challenge. Ghetsis' eyes passed over her for a mere second before he continued, as if she had never interrupted.

"Pokemon and humans are different from one another. Pokemon are living beings that contain power us humans could never imagine. We have so much to learn from Pokemon… Yet some humans ignore the fact that we have certain responsibilities to the wonderful beings known as Pokemon. So tell me… What is our responsibility to them?"

"Our responsibility is to help and protect them!" Maria called out once again. Once again, Ghetsis ignored her.

"We must liberate Pokemon! Only then will humans and Pokemon truly be equals! It is our responsibility to set them free from our own cruelty. This is the only way to correct the mistakes of the humans in the past. I end my words by saying that we sincerely appreciate your attention." With that, the man called Ghetsis gathered his followers and he departed. The crowd dispersed, everyone mumbling worriedly to themselves.

"I can't believe it!" Maria spat. "Liberate our Pokemon? As if!"

"M-Maria…" Maria looked down to see Spaz and Logan looking up at her worriedly. Spaz had tears in his eyes. "D-don't l-liberate us…!" He wailed. Logan stared up at Maria sadly. Maria crouched down and pulled both of her two Pokemon into a tight hug.

"Never. You're my friends, not tools of battle." Maria replied to them. She stood to her feet and came face-to-face with a green-haired boy who had a poker face. "Get away from me you creep!"

"The voice of your pokemon… It doesn't make any sense…"

"Voices? You can hear them? You can talk to Pokemon as well?" Maria was astonished. She had never met another human who could talk to Pokemon.

"So you can hear them. I thought I was the only one. My name is N."

"N? Like… the _letter_ N? That's just… weird." This guy was the king of creeps.

"Maria, was it?" He seemed not to hear the comment on his name. "The voices of your pokemon intrigue me. I want to hear them again. Battle me."

"What?" Maria was taken aback, but before she had time to react, the green-haired boy sent out his pokemon. It was a Purrloin. Spaz stepped forward. He shot smoke out of his nostrils to show that he was ready for battle. "Ember!" Maria ordered. Spaz opened his mouth and shot fiery hot coals towards N's Purrloin. The Purrloin dashed to the side, but an ember struck him in the tail.

"Yow!" He cried. "You'll pay for that!" He dashed forwards and raked his claws across Spaz's face. Spaz squealed in pain.

"Ember, again!" Maria called. The Purrloin was too close and too slow to move aside this time and he skidded across the pavement. "That's enough."

"This battle isn't over." N replied. His Purrloin struggled to its feet. Its fur was singed and smoking in some places. "Purrloin, use Scratch!"

"Tackle!" Maria called. Spaz charged at the Purrloin. His Tackle contacted with the Purrloin's stomach, but its claws snagged onto Spaz's shoulder. Maria could tell that the Purrloin had no strength to battle, while Spaz was still full of energy, despite the scratches. She had won.

"We did it!" Spaz chanted as he ran up to Maria, who greeted him with a hug.

"Yeah! So get you're lousy cat out of here!" Logan growled.

"Never would I expect a Pokemon to say such things… Farewell." N sulked off.

"That was a great battle, Maria. You really have trained. I'll be waiting for you in the next city. We can have a battle there, if you want. Until then." Cheren walked away. He was heading in the direction of Striaton City.

"Yeah!" Spaz cheered. "Let's head to Striaton City!"

"Don't worry. We'll get on it. Just as soon as Nurse Joy deals with those scratches of yours." Maria said sternly.

"What, these scratches? They're nothing! They don't hurt a bit!" Spaz smiled to prove it, bit the scratch on his muzzle made him wince.

"Come on. Let's get to the Pokemon Center." Maria yawned. "Maybe we should spend the night there. It's getting late and it's been a long day…"

"Good idea." Logan agreed. He yawned too.

"Am I the only one who's not-" Spaz was interrupted by a yawn. "I guess I am a little tired." He confessed. They all laughed. It had been a long day indeed.

"Welcome to the team!" Spaz cheered. "What did you say your name was?"

"They call me Warren." The Patrat snickered. "Or at least I call myself that. Not sure about anyone else. So this trainer can really understand us?"

"Every word." Maria replied.

"Cool beans…" Warren seemed almost carefree. Maria hoped that it wouldn't end in his untimely demise. _Pokemon can die in battle…_

Soon they were reaching the end of route two. Maria could see the buildings of Striaton city standing tall on the horizon. They would be there shortly, and Maria would be able to stop by the pokemon center. She had been training for a while and her three pokemon needed to rest.

"Wait!" A singsong voice split the fresh Route Two air. Maria gulped before turning around to come face to face with Bianca. "Let's have a battle!" She shouted before sending out a Lillipup. "Her name is Daisy, and she's so ready for battle!"

"Just to warn you, Spaz and I have been training!" Taking the cue, Spaz jumped forward. He was raring to go. "Spaz, use ember!" Hot coals shot out of Spaz's mouth. Daisy let out a yelp of pain and became unconscious almost immediately.

"Wow, you really have gotten stronger!" Bianca cheered. She sent out her Snivy. "Take care of that Tepig, Buddy!" On closer inspection, the Snivy still had the word 'buddy' inked into his forehead.

"Spaz, use Ember!" Maria ordered. Spaz fired out another round of hot coals. The battle was over. "Great job Spaz!" Maria congratulated.

"Wow, Maria!" Bianca cheered. She seemed astonished. "You're growing really quickly! You should be able to beat Cheren with pokemon like that!"

"Thanks, Bianca." Maria didn't know if she was still angry with Bianca or not.

"Well, to-ta-loo!" Bianca waved goodbye before she shimmied off.

"She's a little peppy, isn't she?" Warren asked, staring after her.

"That she is…" Maria sighed before walking into the Pokemon center. She healed her Pokemon, and then headed back out. "We should see if we can catch a Pokemon in the dream yard before we battle Cheren" Maria advised.

"Good idea!" Logan barked. The group began to travel in the direction of the Dream Yard, where they saw a young girl with a green monkey Pokemon.

"You!" She called out, pointing at Maria. "You're a trainer, aren't you?" Maria nodded nervously. _What does she want from me?_ "I need you to take care of a Pokemon for me. You see, I can't take care of him anymore, and I need to find a trainer who can make sure he's safe." The girl looked sad. Maria couldn't say no.

"I can take care of him for you. Does he have a name?" Maria asked.

"His name's Alfredo." The young girl said. Maria looked down at the Pansage.

"Welcome to the team, Alfredo." She smiled at him, and he smiled back. As they walked away, Alfredo waved goodbye to his previous trainer.

"Bye!" Alfredo called. "I'll come back when I'm really strong!"

"Alfredo… I don't think…" Maria stopped herself. She couldn't bring herself to say it, but something inside her made her think that the Pansage's trainer wasn't completely honest with her. She could see it in the trainer's pained expression. It had something to do with the group of people at the square in Accumula Town. They were the people with the PZ logo on their shirts. "Let's go find Cheren." She said to Logan and Spaz.

"Who's Cheren?" Alfredo asked curiously.

"A childhood friend. He challenged me to a battle. Knowing him, he's probably at the trainer's school. Let's go." Maria headed in the direction of the school. As she had guessed, Cheren was waiting for her there.

"And so you see," Cheren was talking to a group of children who all looked to be no more than five years old, "Items can be a very important part of Pokemon battles." Cheren had finished drawing a diagram of a pecha berry the board. He looked up and saw Maria. "Maria, you're just in time for a demonstration!" He exclaimed while he pushed up his glasses. "Let's battle!" Cheren pressed the button on one of his Pokeballs and sent out his Oshawott. "Come on, Bobble!"

"Go, Logan!" Maria sent out the little puppy Pokemon. "Use Bite!" Logan ran forward and bit one of Bobble's ears. The Oshawott shook his head, trying to get the Lillipup off, but to no avail.

"Tackle!" Cheren yelled. Bobble charged towards the wall and Logan managed to let go just in time to avoid hitting the wall. Bobble, however, crashed head-on and knocked himself out. "Come on!" Cheren complained. "That's not fair! Oh well. Hans should straighten you out!" Cheren picked up another pokeball and sent out his Purrloin.

"Come back, Logan. Its Warren's turn!" Logan padded back to Maria's side and Warren leaped onto the battlefield. Warren, use Tackle!" Cheren's Purrloin skidded across the floor. Hans pushed himself to his feet and prepared for another attack. "Use Bite!" Maria called. Warren ran forward and latched his sharp fang into Hans' tail. The Purrloin yowled in pain and Warren let go.

"I simply can't go on!" The Purrloin wailed. "I am defeated, demolished, obliterated, abolished!"

"Yes!" Maria called. "We won!" She pulled all four of her pokemon into a hug, as was customary after any successful battle. She still had not lost a Pokemon. _Maybe the professor was wrong. Maybe Pokemon just can't die in battle._ "You know what I'm gonna do now? I'm going to face the gym leader! Cress, I'm coming to take you down!" Maria shouted to herself and she left the school building. A skip, hop and a jump away, the gym was waiting. After a quick trip to the pokemon center…

Maria whipped through the gym trainers with little trouble. Soon she was facing the three gym leaders. She would be facing the water-type trainer, Cress.

"You will battle my water type pokemon." Cress explained. "I hope you came prepared." He smiled.

"I did." Maria sent out Warren. Cress brought out his Lillipup.

"Lillipup, use Work Up!" Cress ordered.

"Like your going to win with a move like that!" Maria laughed. "Warren, use Bite!" Warren darted forward. He sank his fangs into the Lillipup's back. The Lillipup yelped in pain.

"Lillipup, bite it back!" Cress ordered. The Lillipup turned around and closed its jaws around Warren's head. The Patrat squealed in pain and writhed around in the Lillipup's grasp. The Lillipup bit down harder and Warren's body went limp. The Lillipup tossed it aside like last night's dinner.

"Warren!" Maria called out, but the Patrat's body remained limp and blood poured from a wound on his head. Tears welled in her eyes.

"You'll regret the day you messed with Warren!" Spaz shouted. He bombarded the foe's Lillipup with hot coals. The Lillipup let out a yelp of pain, but Spaz wasn't done. Spaz rammed into the Lillipup. His eyes flamed with rage, and the Lillipup whimpered loudly. Spaz towered over the Lillipup and opened his mouth to let out another barrage of hot coals.

"Lillipup, return!" Cress called. The Lillipup returned to its Pokeball. "Finish this battle. Now!" Cress ordered. Suddenly, Maria's eyes flamed with the same rage that was in Spaz's eyes.

"Alfredo, make him pay!" Maria cried. Alfredo nervously made his way onto the battlefield. Cress chose to use his Panpour. "Use Vine Whip!" Vines sprouted from the patch of leaves atop Alfredo's head and began to give Panpour a thorough spanking.

"Panpour, use Work Up!" Cress ordered. The Panpour began to flex his muscles. Alfredo continued to whip the foes Panpour with vines. "Now use water gun!" Cress commanded. Water blasted Alfredo in the face, but it would take more than that to knock Alfredo down.

"Vine whip, again!" Maria called. This time, Alfredo's vines whipped harder, and the Panpour cried out in pain. Cress withdrew it.

"You have won this battle." Cress said, but Maria appeared not to have heard him. She ran over to Warren's blood-covered body.

"Warren! Warren… I can't believe… You can't…" Maria was at a loss for words. She couldn't believe that Warren was going to leave them forever. She just couldn't believe it… A single tear rolled down her cheek and splashed on Warren's face. One of his eyes slowly opened, unbeknownst to Maria.

"I'm still kicking." Warren whispered faintly. Maria's eyes widened and she looked down at Warren. "You didn't think I'd go down that easily, did you?"

"How are you feeling?" Logan asked worriedly.

"Much better, now that I've seen a nurse." Warren smiled. "And a pretty one at that." He winked at the Audino as she walked passed. She blushed and giggled before hurrying off. He smirked and chuckled.

"Are you sure?" Spaz asked. "That was an awful lot of blood."

"I can call the nurse back here if you don't believe me." Warren offered.

"No, that's fine." Maria assured him. "You have to take it easy for a while. No trainer battles until you're fully recovered. We can manage some wild pokemon, though." Maria didn't want to put off Warren's training. The more they trained, the less likely it was for him- for any of them- to die in battle.

"Fine by me." Warren said.

"And I'm making you travel in your Pokeball." Maria added.

"Hold up, I ain't getting in that thing!" He protested. "I hate it in there…"

"Please, Warren?" Maria didn't like to beg, but if that was what it took, she would. Warren eyed her hesitantly.

"Alright, I'll get in." He muttered. "Only to make you happy."

"Good." Maria sighed in relief. "You don't have to go now." She explained. "Only tomorrow, before we leave. We'll stay here for the-"

"Maria, help!" Maria turned around. Bianca came rushing into the Pokemon center. Tears were rolling down her face. "They took my Pokemon!"

Maria's POV

Even now I can remember the trauma of my first gym battle. I didn't let Warren into many gym battles after that first one. Not unless I absolutely had to. I was extra careful with my other Pokemon too. I hadn't lost anyone yet, but I almost did, and that can be a worse experience than actually losing someone. Or so I thought at the time…

Spaz's POV

I probably would have killed that Lillipup if its trainer hadn't retrieved it in time. I was so close to actually doing it too… It kind of pains me that I could have been responsible for another Pokemon losing its life. Even if I was caught in the heat of the moment, even though the Lillipup didn't think twice about nearly murdering Warren, I wouldn't have been able to do it in full consciousness.

Logan's POV

To be honest, I was scared. I had almost seen another of my own species get killed. And a dear friend of mine almost died. It made me really wonder who would be around to tell the tales when our journey was finally over. It made me wonder if I would still be around to tell the tales when our journey finally ended.

Warren's POV

I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. I was terrified. I really thought I was going to die out there. I was about to give up, but then I heard Maria's calling and I fought to stay conscious. Then I saw Spaz jumping to my defense, and I knew I had to survive, because we were a family now. And what's a family without me, am I right?

Alfredo's POV

The truth? I'll tell you the truth. I knew my trainer wasn't going to take me back. She was liberating me. She heard a stupid speech from a man in a cloak and suddenly she couldn't be my trainer anymore. It's okay, though. I could tell from the look in Maria's eyes, and the faces of her other Pokemon that I would be okay with her. I could tell that she had heard the speech. I could tell she was against it. She wouldn't 'liberate' me no matter how many speeches she would hear. I would be happy to die for a trainer like that.


	3. Chapter 3

"Who stole your Pokemon?" Maria asked worriedly.

"The people in the suits from Accumula Town…" Bianca cried.

"Don't worry." Maria looked at Bianca with a determined look on her face. "I can help get your Pokemon back. Who did they take? Daisy? Buddy?"

"My Munna. I just caught her. Her name's Christy." Bianca was shaking. "They took her to the Dreamyard. I can show you where… You can help, can't you?"

"Of course! Let's go!" Maria replied, already halfway out the door of the Pokemon Center. The rest of her team followed and Bianca raced after them. Maria didn't have enough time to protest against Warren's tagging along. She ran through the crowds of Striaton City, until they reached the path that led to the Dreamyard. They ran through the brambles and they ran through the bushes. Finally they reached the Dreamyard.

"This way!" Bianca maneuvered through the rubble and remnants of collapsed buildings until they were watching two people from the shadows. "They called themselves Team Plasma when they took her." She whispered. Maria watched the strange PZ people. She tried to hear what they were saying.

"Cough up that Dream Mist, filth!" One of the PZ people spat at the Munna he lifted his foot as if getting ready to kick it.

"What do you think you're doing?" Maria shouted as she jumped out from their hiding place. "Leave my friend's Pokemon alone!"

"Well, well, well… What do we have here?" The other Team Plasma grunt sneered. "Another teenager trying to interfere with Team Plasma's plans? Leave us be, if you know what's good for you!"

"I'll leave you be when you give my friend her Pokemon back!"

"Well, looks like this one wants a fight!" The first PZ grunt stepped in again. He pulled out a Pokeball and brought out his Patrat.

"Bring it on! Warren… Think you can take these wimps?" Maria asked.

"Easy as a wild Purrloin." Warren smirked, taking a step forward.

"Use Cut!" Maria called. Warren ran at Team Plasma's Patrat and slashed it with one of his claws. It was out cold. "That was too easy!"

"Now you have to face me!" The other grunt piped up. "Let's see if you can deal with this!" She chucked her Pokeball onto the battlefield. A Purrloin popped out. It only took one tackle to do it in.

"You're too strong!" The male grunt wailed. He ran away, and his female counterpart followed him.

"Good riddance!" Maria spat after them.

"Munna? Are you okay?" Bianca rushed forward and hugged her Munna.

"I'm alright." She replied, a bit shaky.

"Oh, Maria, how can I thank you?" Bianca asked.

"No problem, Bianca. You would have done the same for me." Maria replied, not so sure if Bianca was capable of such things. "It was no problem. No problem at all."

"Route Three. Smells different, doesn't it?" Maria asked.

"Yup. Like dirty toddlers and prunes." Warren muttered to himself.

"Maria!" Cheren's voice reverberated through the area. Maria turned around to see her childhood friend standing there. "Let's battle!"

"But-" Maria began to protest, but Bobble was out in battle before she could. She sighed and sent out Alfredo. "Alfredo, use Vine Whip!"

"My pleasure!" The vines stretched out and whacked Cheren's Oshawott across the face. Bobble countered with a Water Gun, but the non-effective move didn't do much to him. He continued to whack Cheren's Oshawott with vines. Soon enough, Bobble was too wary to battle.

"Hans, use Fury Swipes!" Cheren cried as his Purrloin entered battle. Hans' claws raked across Alfredo's face and the Pansage cried out in pain. The claws raked across his face once, twice, three times. Alfredo tried to wipe the blood out of his eyes, but he was blinded.

"Maria, help me!" He cried out. Maria reached for her Pokeball, but just as she did so, the Purrloin's claws ripped right across Alfredo's chest. Alfredo cried in pain. He wasn't dead yet. Maria could still save him.

"Stop!" She ran towards him, but the Purrloin was too quick. Once again the claws raked across Alfredo's chest and his eyes widened. The blood was flowing too quickly; the claws had dug too deep. "Alfredo!" Maria crouched over Alfredo. "Alfredo…" Tears welled up in her eyes. This time it was real. This time, she was going to lose him.

"I'm happy… to have traveled with you… You are… a wonderful trainer…" Alfredo struggled to say his parting words before he continued. "Goodbye… Maria…"

"You'll pay for that, cat!" Warren spat. He ran towards Hans and slashed the Purrloin across the face with Cut. The Purrloin was unable to battle. Cheren walked slowly onto the battlefield.

"Maria… I didn't… I'm… Let me…" Cheren stuttered, at a loss for words.

"Get away from me!" Maria shouted. Cheren took a few slow steps backwards before he turned and ran, leaving Maria with Alfredo's body. She imagined rain cleaning the blood off of Alfredo's body, but the sun continued to shine and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Maria slunk slowly to her knees. Spaz came up to her right side, Warren came to her left and Logan crawled onto her lap. After sitting there for a long time, Maria stood up. "We have to bury him. We have to find the right place, a place we'll remember."

There was a large tree beside the daycare center. They dug a hole beneath the tree and placed Alfredo's body inside before they covered it. Warren used Cut to carve the Pansage's name into the tree. Maria placed her hand on the bark and felt the letters engraved there. She turned around and came face to face with Bianca.

"Bianca?" Maria tried to hide her tears.

"I saw the whole thing." Bianca muttered uncertainly. "I'm sorry about Alfredo, but I think you should go after Cheren. He didn't try to-"

"I don't care if he tried it or not. He did it, and I will never forgive him!"

"If you won't go for Cheren, then go for me." Bianca tried to give Maria puppy eyes, but to no avail. Maria sighed. She didn't like seeing Bianca beg, but she didn't want to see Cheren _at all_. This was a decision she had to make. She sighed.

"Fine. Where did he go?" Maria asked.

"Wellspring Cave." Bianca pointed in the direction that Cheren had left in.

I walked along the path to Wellspring cave with a heavy heart and only three Pokemon following me. I didn't want them to die. They didn't deserve it. Alfredo hadn't deserved it. Cheren didn't deserve to walk away from that battle without losing his stupid Purrloin or Oshawott. He deserved to feel the wrath of Maria's pain, or so she thought. She pushed these thoughts away as the entrance to Wellspring cave loomed in the distance. She was about to enter, but something tugged on her leg to stop her. She turned around to see Spaz, Logan, and Warren looking up at her.

"We need to talk." Warren was the first to speak. "I know you think that Alfredo's death was Cheren's fault. Believe me when I say that it wasn't.

"But it was!" Maria protested.

"It wasn't _completely _his fault." Spaz corrected. "Of course he could have controlled his Purrloin better, and his Purrloin could have withheld the last Fury Swipe, but they weren't the only ones to blame."

"I know…" Maria's voice trailed off. She knew whose fault it was. "It was my own fault, wasn't it? I should have withdrew him before the Fury Swipes hit, I shouldn't have sent him into battle."

"Maria…" Logan looked up at Maria sadly. "That's not what we meant. We meant that it was no one's fault. No one is to blame. Alfredo gave his life for you, and he knew he had to do it. It was a choice he made before you sent him out in battle. It was a choice all of us have already made."

"We've all made the choice. We all know that we'll be ready to die when the time comes, and we'll be ready for it because we want to be, not because you force us to." Warren was saying everything matter-of-factly.

"Thanks, Warren…" Maria sniffed. "Let's go." She said. They took their first steps into Wellspring cave. Almost immediately after entering, something dropped from the ceiling and whacked Maria in the face, leaving a red heart-shaped mark on her forehead. Maria chucked a Pokeball at the strange creature. It was sucked inside and the Pokeball rolled a couple times before little stars popped out. Maria clicked the button on the Pokeball to let the Pokemon out. Immediately, all three of Maria's Pokemon ran up to the new member.

"What's your name?" Spaz asked, hearts in his eyes.

"Crystal." The Woobat giggled.

"Pretty name for a pretty girl." Warren smiled at her.

"Uh… Thanks?" She blushed.

"Welcome to the team, Crystal!" Logan piped in.

"Don't mean to poop on your party, but we came here for a reason… And there it is." Maria pointed towards a black-haired boy with a cowlick who was lying face down on the floor of the cave. "Cheren!" She shouted. He didn't stir. Maria ran over to him and let out a sigh of relief. He was breathing, and there was only one way to wake him up… She would enjoy this moment for the rest of her life. A hand whacked Cheren across the face, living a five-fingered red mark. Cheren's eyes shot open.

"Ow!" He yelled. "That hurt!" He rubbed his cheek for a few moments.

"Cheren, why were you sleeping on the floor of the cave?" Maria asked.

"These jerks were throwing rocks at me!" He complained. "It's a wonder they didn't kill me or worse- they could've broken my glasses!" Cheren viciously shoved his glasses up his nose. He reached for the pokeballs on his pelt. "They took Hans!" He shouted. "You need to help me get him back!"

"They could be miles away by now!" Maria protested.

"What about those shadowy figures over there?" Crystal asked, looking towards a shadowy part of the cave. Almost immediately afterwards, the two figures walked out of the shadows.

"Team Plasma!" Maria spat in disgust. "Let's do this, Spaz."

"You too, Bobble!" Cheren cried. He sent out his Oshawott.

"Patrat powers!" The two grunts called in unison. They both sent out Patrats.

"Razor Shell!" Cheren called.

"Flame Charge!" Maria chanted. Spaz's body burst into flames and he slammed into the foe's Patrat. Cheren's Oshawott slashed the other Patrat with his scalchop. The battle was over in a matter of seconds.

"Here's your stupid Purrloin!" The Team Plasma grunt complained. He chucked Hans' Pokeball at Cheren. Cheren sent it out.

"Hansi!" He exclaimed, hugging his Purrloin. The Purrloin hissed.

"Now get out of here." Maria smiled "Before I kill that cat." Cheren's eyes widened and he rushed out of the cave. Maria laughed. Let's go make another friend on Route 3." Maria cheered. They walked outside and looked for a nice patch of grass to catch a Pokemon in. Maria's pupils dilated when she saw the most beautiful Blitzle she had ever seen.

Time skip to after I accidently murder the wild Blitzle and train for a while…

Spaz flexed his newfound arms. He smiled a wide smile and shot hot coals out of his mouth just to test it out. Logan padded in circles next to him, showing off his longer legs and a less fluffy face.

"Stop showing off, you guys!" Warren snapped. "I'll evolve in four more levels. That'll show you guys to boast."

"Guys, stop bickering. We're almost at Nacrene City." Maria explained. The Pokemon looked ahead, where some old warehouse buildings were towering in the distance. "And we need to get to a Pokemon center."

"Maria!" Cheren rushed out of the Pokemon center and started walking in their direction. "Maria, I want to-"

"No!" Maria shouted. "I am never going to battle you again, Cheren."

"That's not what I was going to say…" Cheren trailed off. There was a look of terror and guilt plastered onto his face. "I wanted to apologize. And here… Have these." Cheren reached into his pocket to pull out some Chesto berries. "They can cure sleep."

"You think a couple of stupid berries will make me forget Alfredo?"

"No!" Cheren waved his arms frantically. "I just… I… I'll see ya later…" Cheren sighed before he turned around and walked off. Maria watched him go.

"What's up with him?" Maria asked.

"He's got a crush on you." Warren said.

"No. We're just friends." Maria protested.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Warren replied, crossing his arms.

"Shut up." Maria said. "Let's just go to the Pokemon center… It's getting late…"

Maria's POV:

The loss of Alfredo made a huge impact on my friendship with Cheren. I meant what I said about never battling Cheren again. His stupid Purrloin had murdered one of my Pokemon. He was going to pay… Sure I acted like I'd forgiven him… But it's hard to lose someone and forget so soon afterwards.

Spaz's POV:

I missed Alfredo. In the days following his absence, I would miss his innocence most of all. He was so modest and he never started a fight. That's in the past, though. I can't worry about Alfredo anymore. I might forgive what the kid with the glasses did, but I will never forget Alfredo.

Warren's POV:

The worst part about Alfredo's death was not being able to do anything about it. We had to watch from the sidelines without doing a thing to help it. It was probably at that point in time that I vowed to do whatever it took to protect the other members of our family. No matter what the cost…

Crystal's POV:

I don't know what it was about Maria that made me want to travel with them, or why all of her Pokemon had pained expressions on their faces the day I joined them. I do know that they were my family now and that I was looking forward to traveling with them… Especially Warren…


	4. Chapter 4

"So what do we do now?" Spaz asked. "Challenge the gym?"

"Not yet." Maria cautioned. "I want to go to the outer side of Pinwheel Forrest first. We need to catch a new teammate, don't we?"

"Yeah. We can't beat two normal types with four Pokemon." Warren muttered sarcastically.

"I would have said the same thing before my battle with Cheren." Maria retorted. Warren looked taken aback, but he didn't say anything as they headed out of Nacrene city. As they were walking, they soon came across a little toddler boy.

"Battle me!" He shouted in mock anger.

"Aw, your so cute!" Maria smiled. "Of course I'll battle you. Go easy on him, Warren." Maria said to him. Warren rolled his eyes.

"As if…" He grumbled.

"Roggenrola, use Rock Blast!" The boy ordered. His Pokemon started to chuck small rocks at Warren. Warren dodged several of them and laughed.

"This is so-" He stopped when he saw a rock coming straight towards his face. It whacked him hard. He fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

"Yay, I won!" The kid cheered as he skipped away. Maria fell to her knees in front of Warren. Blood was trickling slowly from his mouth.

"Warren!" She cried. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. Warren turned his head slightly and his eyes opened slowly.

"I'm still kicking." He smiled faintly, shaking as he did so.

"Warren!" Crystal, Spaz, and Logan ran up to him. They looked down sadly. Warren's breath was coming out in ragged gasps. They would never make it to the Pokemon center in time to save him. It was too late. He was going to… Maria gulped.

"We can get you to a Pokemon Center, we can!" Maria cried. Tears were beginning to splash onto the already wet ground.

"No…" Warren shook his head. "Its too late for me…" He tried to hold on for a little longer, just to say his goodbyes. "Spaz… Take care of Crystal for me. Logan… Make sure Maria doesn't mourn for too long… Crystal… I know we only met a little bit ago… But that doesn't change… how I feel about you… Maria… You were a great trainer… I'll see you again someday… Farewell, friends…" Warren trailed off. His eyes drifted shut and his head dropped to the side. Maria couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She wept until noon. That was when she felt something on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry about your friend." Maria turned her head to see that a Pidove was perched on her shoulder. "I know what its like to lose someone you love."

"Get away from me!" She shouted.

"My name's Riker." The Pidove tweeted. He flew aside to avoid Maria's floundering arms. "I lost a trainer." Maria stopped.

"Riker… I'm sorry to hear that… What happened?" Maria asked.

"These men in gray uniforms were talking to my trainer. Then she released me." Riker's gaze saddened. Maria was reminded of Alfredo's trainer. "I thought we were friends, ya know?" Riker continued.

"I know." Maria said sadly. "Maybe you should help me bury him."

One trainer and four Pokemon dug a hole together. They placed Warren in and pushed the dirt on top of him. His burial spot was under an abandoned railroad track. Some of the boards were askew and there was a perfect place to bury him. Maria pried one of the boards off and stuck it into the ground. She took out a knife and began to carve something into it. 'Your future was bright. I'm sorry for turning out the light.' After it was done, the trainer and Pokemon stared at in silence for a while. Maria stood to her feet and began to walk back to Nacrene City.

"Where are you going?" Spaz asked. He grabbed hold of Maria's arm and pulled her backwards, looking into her eyes.

"Home." Maria confessed.

"And what about us? What about Riker, Crystal, and Logan? Where are they supposed to go?" Spaz asked angrily. "Home? Crystal is going back to Wellspring Cave and Logan is going back to Route Two? Where am I supposed to go, then? Back to the lab?" As he ranted, his body heat stared to rise and smoke began to come out of his nostrils.

"Maria, you can't give up." Crystal flapped passed Spaz. "You can't. If you did, then… Then Warren's death would have been for nothing."

"Well I _am_ giving up. Just watch me." Maria spat. She stomped off. Her three Pokemon followed her, trying to convince her otherwise. Riker flapped behind them and tried to help as well, but it was to no avail. Maria wouldn't listen. It was dark by the time they reached the Pokemon Center. "We'll rent a room for the night, but tomorrow, you all go home." She told them. She fell asleep almost as soon as she fell onto the bed. Voices echoed in her head as she stood in the darkness. The voices grew louder until she covered her ears with her hands because they were so loud.

"Who are you?" She shouted at the shadows. "Leave me alone!"

"Maria." Finally, one clear voice reached through the darkness. Maria jumped.

"Warren?" She asked into the darkness. Suddenly, the darkness lifted. She was in a green field full of Patrats. One in particular stood out. He was smaller than all the others and they were all picking on him. The vision faltered a little and it showed the Patrat running away. The Patrat ran into a trainer. It was her. Only it couldn't be her, because she was standing right there. The vision faded. Everything was white now, as opposed to black. Warren and Alfredo were both sitting in front of her. "Alfredo! Warren!" Maria ran forward to hug them, but her arms went right through them. "What's going on?"

"You can't give up, Maria. You have to keep going. If you give up, then I died for no reason at all." Alfredo was determined. Maria could see him smile through the scratches on his face, the scars left by Cheren's Purrloin.

"Well said, Alfredo…" Warren smiled and Maria turned to him next. His jaw was twisted slightly, but other than that, he was perfectly fine. He turned toward Maria. "Listen. When I lived in the wild, I was made fun of for being weaker than the rest. I ran away and when I found you, I thought you were going to kill me. You didn't, though. You _caught _me. You _trained_ me. You _cared _about me. I was a weak, pathetic Patrat. One of the most common and undesirable Pokemon, but you raised me and I grew stronger than any Patrat on Route Two. Not only that, but I did it in less than three days. I didn't lose all that just to watch you give up."

"I didn't lose my old trainer to watch you give up!" Alfredo piped in.

"I… I… I'm sorry!" Maria looked at the both of them. "I won't give up. I'll keep going for you. Thank you, Alfredo. Thank you, Warren."

"No problem, toots. Now wake up before you change your mind." Warren smirked. Alfredo waved goodbye as the dream-like world faded.

"Goodbye…" Maria muttered. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, she was in her room at the Pokemon Center. She sat up in bed and looked around. Everyone was asleep. "Wake up!" She called. She shook Spaz's shoulder, tickled Logan's stomach, squeezed Crystal's fluffy body and ruffled Riker's feathers. "Change of plans." Maria announced. "We're going to go train harder than ever before. Then we're gonna challenge the Nacrene City Gym, and after that…" Maria trailed off. She imagined the skyscrapers of Castelia city. Beyond that, Nimbasa, and beyond that… The Pokemon League. "We'll beat all the gyms! After that… We'll beat the Pokemon League."

"Maria! I knew you wouldn't give up so easily!" Spaz cried. He squeezed her in a tight Pignite's hug.

"We'll be with you every step of the way." Logan barked happily.

"No matter what happens." Crystal agreed.

"Ahem… I don't know if you'll have me, but I'd love to join your team." Riker piped up. Maria smiled and took out a Heal Ball. She tapped it against his head, and then released him. "You could have caught me with something a little more manly…" He grumbled.

"Riker!" Maria cried in pain. The small bird Pokemon's body was soaking wet and Pidove feathers were scattered across the grass. He shook from the cold of the wet feathers and coughed up water. A little ways away, Logan was shouting angrily at a small Tympole who had tears running down his face. The Tympole fled as soon as Logan turned around to check on Riker.

"Maria… I'm sorry…" Spaz muttered. Riker's chest had stopped raising and falling. He was gone. Why did this always happen to her? First Alfredo, then Warren… Now Riker was feeling the wrath of the universe as well. They buried him right next to Warren. Maria planted another stake in the ground and carved something into this one as well. 'You had a future with us. Now we'll always have a past with you.'

"Maria… Are you going to be okay?" Crystal asked.

"Yes…" Maria looked up and her eyes darkened. "But I need to take my wrath out on someone. Let's go challenge the gym." So Maria charged up to the entrance to the gym. She was about to open the door when it opened and a familiar stranger walked out. He bumped right into her and his eyes widened. Maria backed up slowly. "You…" Her eyes narrowed. It was that strange boy from Accumula town… N.

"Maria, was it?" The kid fixed his cap. "I see a future between people and Pokemon. It is a future where the Pokemon are free from the enslavement of humans. I see a future where they truly are equals. Let me ask you. Can you see it?"

"I can see it. I can see it now. I know people who do treat their Pokemon as equals." Maria closed her eyes. Visions of Cheren and Bianca flashed through her head. She breathed in, and then out. "Now get out of my way!"

"No. We must battle. I need to know if you can see the future." N took out a Pokeball and sent out a Pidove. "You make the first move." He offered.

"My pleasure. Spaz, use Flame Charge!" Maria ordered. Spaz shot flames from his nostrils and charged at the Pidove. It only took one hit. N took out another Pokeball and sent out a Tympole. "Spaz, come back! Logan, you can do this!" Spaz returned to Maria's side and Logan ran onto the battlefield. "Logan, use Tackle!" Once again it only took one hit. This time N chose to use a Timburr. "Logan, switch with Crystal!" Logan ran off the Battlefield and Crystal flew onto it. "Crystal, Heart Stamp!" Crystal's Heart Stamp knocked the Timburr out in one hit. "Your future can _take that_!"

"Maybe it can." N replied calmly. "No. I'm just not strong enough yet. I'm not strong enough to change the world. I'll get stronger. I'll challenge you again, when I'm ready." With that, N walked off. Maria rolled her eyes and entered the gym.

After half an hour of bookshelves and annoying scientists, Maria finally reached the gym leader, a woman named Lenora. "I challenge you to a gym battle."

Maria's POV:

I didn't know what to do after Warren's death. What scared me the most about it was the way I handled it. Would I really have abandoned Spaz, Logan, and Crystal? I don't want to think about it. I don't want to think about Riker either. How could I lose him so easily? There was one more thing on the list of memories that I couldn't forget. I couldn't forget what Cheren did. I want to forgive him, I really do, but its so hard for me... I just _can't_.

Spaz's POV:

Warren and Riker's memories would always be with us. For a second, I thought Maria had forgotten that. I thought she had forgotten the way that Alfredo, Riker, and Warren died by her side. I thought she'd forgotten that they did it willingly for her. Maybe she had forgotten, but something reminded her. I knew that this had signaled a breakthrough in our journey.

Logan's POV:

I don't know what I would have done if she had sent me back to route two. All of my friends were Lillipups, my parents were Lillipups. I never thought I'd be the one lucky enough to find a trainer who would train me. I thought she was going to send me back, I really did. It scared me to think that she would abandon us like that, like she didn't care anymore.

Crystal's POV:

Warren's death was harder on Maria than it was on me. I had only just met Warren, but I did have feelings for him. I'll always have feelings for him, but I'll have to learn to get over them. I'm the only female on my team, aside from Maria. It's my job to keep us all together. That's a girl's job, right?


End file.
